


Succession of Halos

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe- non magic, Astronomy, Baby Harry, Blind Character, Blind Harry, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Genderfluid Sirius, M/M, New Years Eve, Professor Sirius, Slow Burn, Stargazing, Trans Remus, bookshop Remus, tactile art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5617246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Remus gets talked into seeing his favourite author--Astronomy Professor S. Black--hold a stargazing lecture, he anticipates a stodgy old man in tweed.  He does not expect the ripped jeans and rolling-stones t-shirt wearing, motor-bike riding Sirius Black with his wicked smile and passion for the stars.  Remus is sure there's no chance between them, but little does he know, Sirius has a passion for many things in life, one of which being Remus Lupin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Succession of Halos

**Author's Note:**

> So I completely forgot I had this typed up a few days ago. Meant to post it but...now you get a belated NYE fic.
> 
> Written for Anon request- cud u do a lonely shy but proud trans remus going to a stargazing club where Sirius is the group speaker & tells remus about a star gazing activity & invites him & remus thinks its part of the group but the sexy speaker has just asked him on a date

_Above me I saw something I did not believe at first. Well above the haze layer of the earth's atmosphere were additonal faint thin bands of blue, sharply etched against the dark sky. They hovered over the earth like a succession of halos._

_— David G. Simons, first balloon ride above 100,000 feet, 'A Journey No Man Had Taken,' LIFE magazine, 2 September 1957._

*** 

Sitting down with his current, favourite book spread out on the counter, Remus tucked his legs onto the rung of the tall stool and glanced out the shop window. It was a Wednesday, which meant there would be little to no customers until just before closing—if any at all. He was okay with it, really. His busy weekends made up for the slow week days, and though there were times he regretted not choosing his premises better, he was—for the most part—content.

Looking down, Remus’ gaze fixed on the illustration next to the small story. The book itself was unlike anything Remus had seen before. It was written by a professor who had transferred from Oxford to King’s, S.O. Black. It was told in a fairy tale style, each of the stars given personalities, backgrounds, and a journey. The illustrations were vibrant and incredible, following the journey of the family of constellations, stars, nebulas, and galaxies.

Remus instantly loved it, ordering several to sell in the store, and though they didn’t do as well as he’d hoped, it was something he didn’t regret and something he was always recommending people when they walked in.

Remus straightened his back, wriggling as a bead of sweat from the blasting heater dripped from the base of his hair down between his skin and his binder. He wished he could be home, dressed down and comfortable, but he had to make a living, and this was the only thing he had left to him after his mum passed two years prior.

The bell on the door jangled as it opened, and Remus glanced up as a familiar redhead walked in. Her hand was clasped round her four year old son who was grinning wildly, holding a tiny white cane in front of him.

“Moony, are you here?” the tiny voice rang out.

Remus eased himself off the stool and came round the counter. “Yes I am. What have you got today, Harry?”

“I got a cane. Mummy said I could have one now!” He proudly displayed his technique, though Remus assumed it was likely a bit more dramatic than proper, but he grinned anyway.

“That’s wonderful, kiddo! Do I get a hug?”

Harry abandoned the cane to the floor, throwing his arms wide as Remus lifted him up to his shoulder. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to Lily’s cheek. 

“Not busy today?” Lily asked, looking round.

Remus laughed, shaking his head as he hitched Harry up on his hip tight. “Not a soul in hours. You want me to watch the sprog for a bit?”

Lily let out a breath of relief. “That would be amazing. You really don’t mind?”

Remus, who watched Harry at the shop every so often, rolled his eyes a little. “Do I ever? We have fun together, right Harry?”

“Yeah. And he reads me a story. Moony will you read me a story?”

“How about one from my new star book?” Remus asked, going back to the counter where the book was. He sat back on the stool, arranging Harry on his lap and watched as the boy’s hands darted out, running along the pages.

“There’s no bumpies,” Harry said.

“No, no bumpies in this one, but there’s a good story I can tell you.”

Lily peered over, then her eyebrows shot up. “You’ve read this?”

Remus blinked at her. “Yes, of course I have. It’s amazing.”

She bit down on her lip, then said, “You know he’s a professor nearby at Kings.”

“Right. It’s in his bio,” Remus said slowly. “Why?”

“Well he’s got a group that meets twice a month on weekends,” she said, and there was a glint in her eyes that told Remus she was up to something, but she was also Lily which meant she wouldn’t tell Remus even if he begged her. “They meet up to stargaze and other things. I bet you’d love it.”

Remus frowned as he bounced a giggling Harry on his knee a bit. “Have you been to these meetings before?”

“I’ve done a few,” she said with a shrug. “Kind of hard now that I’ve got Harry, but you should go.” Reaching over Remus, she grabbed a biro and scribbled the address down on a bit of spare paper. “It’s at the observatory. Honestly for as great as he is, the group is pretty small, but he always welcomes new people.”

Remus bit down on his lower lip. It sounded intriguing to say the least—and if anything it meant he could meet in person one of his now favourite authors. “I might do that. Thanks, Lils.”

She grinned. “Any time, love. Anyway, Harry, you be good for your Uncle Remus, alright? No misbehaving or no pudding tonight.”

“I woooooon’t,” Harry groaned.

Remus laughed. “He’s always very good for me. And we’re going to have a lovely story and then maybe tea and biscuits after, alright?”

“Tea! Do you have mint?”

“I always keep it just for you,” Remus said with a grin as Lily started for the door. “Have fun, Lils. Take your time!”

She hurried out, and Remus shifted Harry so he could start reading. “Alright, you want to start with Sirius?”

Harry’s face brightened. “Padfoot!”

Remus blinked, the name conjuring up some old image of big, black dog, which the constellation might have been named after. “That’s right, Harry. The constellation Sirius belongs to is part of Canis Major. Who is a big black dog.” Remus cleared his throat, then started to read. “Now, Sirius was the brightest star in the night sky, which left many of the stars round him very jealous, but nothing could dim his light…”

*** 

When Harry left, Remus was struck by the idea that even though he could read to the boy, the pictures in the book were lost to him. Harry had been born with myopia so severe, the most he could see was a foggy blur that was the world. They’d tried surgery to correct some of his vision, but eventually the doctors told James and Lily there wasn’t anything they could do.

Instead of getting upset, Lily and James threw themselves into the community and did everything in their power to make life accommodate their son. They started teaching him braille, buying tactile picture books, equipping their house with every technological advance for the visually impaired.

In fact, they met Remus after looking up shops online which sold braille children’s books. Remus had bought them on a whim, cringing at the expense, but knowing that he should have books that were accessible for anyone who needed them. Lily came in, letting Harry explore for himself, and somehow it had turned into a solid friendship.

Remus, being a rather shy person for the most part, didn’t spend a lot of time with the Potters outside the shop—though he didn’t spend much time with anyone really. But they’d been over for tea several times, and Remus minded Harry every time Lily was in the neighbourhood. 

He came out to the pair of them as a trans man, which was met with open arms and never an instance of misgendering which Remus appreciated more than anything. They left awkward questions to the rest of the world, and instead accepted him as he was.

Being that the Potters were so amazing, Remus wanted to do something for Harry, and was struck by an idea. At the craft shop, Remus could buy the glow-in-the-dark bottles of squeezy paints to go over the illustrations. They wouldn’t be perfect, but if Remus traced the outlines of the constellations and made tactile clouds in the nebulas, the book would be something Harry could touch whilst he or his parents read the stories aloud, and the glow-in-the-dark bit would allow the boy to use what limited vision he had to see them.

Maybe it was silly, he thought, but he wanted to do it.

Stopping on his way home, Remus purchased several tubes, then set to work. The book wasn’t long, but the task was time-consuming, and it took him through all of Saturday afternoon, and into the evening when he was planning to attend the star-gazing meeting at the observatory.

Gryffindor Observatory was just outside the city, where the sky was darkest, and though Remus didn’t enjoy the drive, he found himself excited to try something new like this. Lily insisted there wouldn’t be a large crowd, and as he pulled into the car park, he was relieved to see only a smattering of cars.

He’d done what research he could, trying to find information on the professor, but he was apparently so protective over his private life, the most Remus got was the basic biography which sat at the end of his book. He was hoping to at least see a photo of some sort, but with nothing to go on, he reckoned he’d just wait until the professor took the podium to talk about the stars.

He had his own image in his head anyway. The way Sirius wrote, he pictured an old man, greying hair, glasses, something along the lines of tweed. He was probably wrong on all counts, but it was hard to imagine someone dedicating themselves to the stars would be anything other than a stodgy old man.

Getting out of his car, Remus brought the book with him, along with the paints. He was on the last page now, and was thinking about getting the book signed if the professor would be agreeable to it.

The path was lit gently with solar lights, and Remus followed them to the doors, which led to a wide area with several chairs. A handful of people were sat in front of a podium, the domed roof open about halfway which showed a smattering of the night sky. Against the wall stood a table with a few trays of biscuits, and two carafes—one marked for tea and the other for coffee.

Remus contemplated helping himself, but decided instead to take a chair far to the back of the room. He had twenty minutes before it was set to start, which would be enough time to finish the last page and set it to dry before the talk was over. He eased the book on his lap and got to work, paying no mind to anyone around him.

Ten minutes later, however, he felt someone standing over his shoulder and he glanced up. It was a shorter person with narrow grey eyes, long black hair in a plait which hung over his right shoulder, and he was wearing ripped jeans and a leather jacket over a Rolling Stone’s t-shirt. He had long fingers which were gripping his waist, and Remus noticed the nails were polished a dark blue colour.

Remus blinked, then raised an eyebrow. “Er? Can I help you with something?”

“Are you defacing that book?” the stranger asked, his tone sharp and accusing.

Remus flushed a little. “I’m not defacing it. I’m making it tactile.”

The stranger blinked at him. “What for?” Clearly with no mind for manners, he pulled the chair next to Remus out, and plonked down on it. 

“My friend’s son is blind,” Remus explained patiently, ignoring his desire to tell this person to fuck off. “He loves the stories, but he can’t see the pictures so I thought I’d…help.”

“Your friend’s son?” Licking his lips, the stranger leant over the page and cocked his head to the side. “How old is he?”

“Harry’s four,” Remus said absently, going back to what he was doing. “Was hoping the professor would also autograph it for him.”

Remus missed the sharp look the stranger gave him, but he heard amusement in his tone when he asked, “In the paint?”

“I’m sure a felt-tip pen would be fine. I could go over it with the paint later,” Remus replied, still refusing to look up. He was nearly done and wanted to be finished before the meeting started. “So if you don’t mind…”

“You new here?”

With a small sigh, Remus looked over again, and this close noticed the stranger was absolutely gorgeous. He hated himself for even thinking it, really. He didn’t date ever, his few relationships in the past a complete disaster, and he hated entertaining possibilities when they ended in fiery destruction. “This is my first time, yes. My friend told me about it.”

“Is she here?” he pressed.

Remus shook his head. “No. Why, looking for a letch?”

There was a pause, then the stranger burst out laughing. “No, no I’m not.”

“It wasn’t that funny,” Remus said, rolling his eyes.

“It was, but you wouldn’t understand why.” Reaching over, the stranger gave Remus’ arm a small pat. “I hope your friend’s kid likes the book.”

“He already does,” Remus said. He put the final line on the constellation and then set it to the side to dry. “But this might make it more enjoyable. The stories are fantastic and I’m looking forward to letting the professor know.”

“The professor,” the stranger mused.

Remus huffed. “I didn’t catch his name.”

The stranger’s smile widened, and Remus hated that it made his breath catch a little bit. “You will. I think you’re in for a real treat erm…?”

He hesitated, then extended his hand. “Remus.”

“Remus. Good name. Anyway I have to dash for a bit, but maybe we can talk later when it’s over? Have a cuppa?”

Raising a brow, Remus knew he should say no, but found himself shrugging and suppressing a shudder as the stranger very, achingly slowly, pulled his hand away. “Sure, alright.”

His grin brightened further. “Excellent. See you in a bit, Remus.”

Watching him go, Remus’ eyes widened as he saw the stranger approach the table near the podium. A man was there, stood in a knitted jumper, thinning red hair, stocky, with glasses. Remus had to assume that was Professor Black, and to his horror he realised the stranger must have been the TA.

He bowed his head, hoping he would remain unnoticed for the rest of the talk. The lights dimmed a bit, then the older man approached the podium and addressed the small crowd. “Welcome! Good to see friendly faces again, and a few new ones. Just a couple of quick things to go over before we get started—we’ll be working with the telescope at the next meeting. We should have a really decent shot at the moon as it will be nearly full, and I think we’re going to get a good shot of Saturn, so you’ll want to be here for that. Also a reminder on New Year’s Eve there’s the meteor shower set to peak right around midnight, so you might be in for a real treat if you take your celebrations outside for a while. It’ll be cold though, so bundle up. I think that’s it for the agenda tonight, so without further ado, here’s Sirius.”

Remus was gobsmacked as the torn-jeans and Rolling Stones t-shirt strolled up to the podium, clanking motorbike boots and smirk and all. He gave the crowd a slow gaze, pausing on Remus for so long, Remus’ cheeks went pink, then scarlet when he winked. 

“Good to see everyone, even the newbies. I’m your excited host for the night. Sirius, for those of you who don’t know me. Or as some people are apparently calling me, The Professor.”

Remus ducked his head and wondered if he could make a hasty exit. He couldn’t even begin to focus on what had happened not five minutes prior. That had been the professor? His name was Sirius and he looked like _that_? He couldn’t have been more than Remus’ age—and thirty-three was too bloody young to have been an Oxford professor. Too bloody young to have been that renowned. 

Lily had known, too. She must have, for the look on her face when she told Remus to come.

He would make her pay later.

Sirius, however, began to talk after that, and suddenly all thoughts of hasty escapes were out the window. His voice was captivating, his passion evident and infectious, and before long, forty-five minutes had passed and Remus found himself craving more an sorely disappointed that the evening was ending.

Sirius grinned at the smattering of applause, pointing people over to the tea and biscuits, and Remus took the chance to test the paint, and hurriedly close the book before he could be caught.

Only his luck had always been shit and before he could even get round the chairs, Sirius was there. He was wearing a grin, arms crossed over his chest. “So…”

Remus frowned. “You might have told me you were the professor.”

“I might have, but then you wouldn’t have said all those nice things about me,” Sirius pointed out. “You were more fond of The Professor than you were of me.”

“I was trying to get the book finished,” Remus said, flushing now when he realised the book had been written by Sirius himself. “You were interrupting.”

“Bad habit, I know. I’m just used to having everyone’s attention on me.” Sirius grinned when Remus rolled his eyes. “Come on, did you at least enjoy yourself.”

Remus clenched his jaw, but let out a breath. “Yes, I did. You clearly know your stuff and you’ve a contagious passion for it. Which is unique.”

Sirius, if possible, brightened at that. “You think so?”

Rolling his eyes yet again, Remus huffed. “You know so. You’re very clearly not humble.”

“I’m not humble about my genius, no. But I actually want people to enjoy these things. I mean, if it’s not done right, it’ll bore you straight to sleep.” Without really pausing, Sirius reached out and plucked the book from Remus’ fingers, opening up to the first illustrated page which was the story of Sirius. He ran his fingers along the raised paint, then looked up at Remus, all mirth gone from his eyes. “Why’d you really do this?”

“I told you,” Remus said. “My friend brings her son into my shop a few days a week and we read together. I have loads of braille books, but he’s always asking for this one.” Remus hated stroking Sirius’ ego, but right now he looked genuinely pleased to hear it, so he went on. “He calls the story of Sirius, Padfoot.”

Sirius’ eyes went incredibly bright and almost watery, and his voice was a little tight. “Does he? Really?”

Remus frowned, and things started clicking into place. “Do…you know Lily and James?”

Sirius grin went wider. “James is my brother. I mean…well not by blood or anything, but his parents took me in when we were teens after mine chucked me out. Harry’s my godson. He calls me Padfoot.”

“Christ,” Remus breathed. “Well it makes sense but…Christ.”

Sirius laughed again, then handed the book back. “This is really bloody nice of you, Remus. Even if it is defacing my work of art. I feel like a right twat for not having thought of it, you know? I used to tell Harry these stories when he was really little, to get him to sleep. James overheard me one evening and told me I should write them down.”

Remus looked at Sirius for a long time before speaking. “They’re really good. Captivating. And…autobiographical?”

Sirius’ cheeks tinged pink and he shrugged. “Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. You liked them?”

“I did,” Remus said carefully, holding the book to his chest. “The illustrations really add something to them.”

“My brother does those. Regulus.”

Remus’ eyes widened, recalling the story of Regulus who had once stood by as Sirius was being thrown from the galaxy, but eventually came after him and proved they could still love each other as brothers should. “They’re amazing.”

“They are. He was really against the idea of the book, but when I sent him the draft he agreed. He’s still a shithead most of the time but…he does good work.”

Remus chuckled a little. “Fair enough. I never had siblings but I’ve known enough of them.”

Sirius grinned back, then shoved his hands into his pockets, looking almost unsure. “I promised some tea. Shall I?”

“Alright, then,” Remus said quietly. He stood back and watched Sirius approach the table, his entire face lighting up as he was told what a good night it had been. He looked unconventional, but Remus could see him as a professor, desperate to engage the younger minds of University.

Remus himself had dropped out before he could finish his undergrads. His mum was ill and he had to work in order to help her. When she died, years had passed and Remus just didn’t have it in him to continue. But there was a small part of him that missed it. That wished he could have gone on to do something great with his life.

His thoughts were interrupted when a cup of tea was pressed against his knuckles, and he took it, smiling carefully at Sirius. “Ta.”

Sirius grinned back, looking round to the people who were slowly disbursing, and he got a look in his eye Remus couldn’t entirely read. “You want to see something interesting? I think you’ll like it.”

Remus lifted a brow. “If that’s some sort of innuendo…”

Choking on the sip of tea he had just taken, Sirius swiped at his mouth. “Christ, no! I…” He let out a frustrated growl, then grabbed Remus by the wrist and started pulling him toward the door near the front of the room. “You actually like astronomy, right? Or were you just here for the autograph?”

Remus smiled gently as he watched Sirius pull out a badge from his pocket and swipe it against a scanner to the right of the door. It clicked, and Sirius pulled it open. “I love astronomy. I thought about studying it, for a while, but my maths marks were just terrible.”

“Bad luck,” Sirius said, his voice dropping a little as they walked into a very dimly lit corridor. He led the way down to a far door, swiping his badge once more, and as it opened, Remus felt a gust of cold air. “Sorry, the temperature in here is crap all the time, but it’s necessary for all the equipment.”

“I’m alright,” Remus said, pulling his coat round his middle a little tighter. The tea was warm in his hands as he stepped through, and came to a skidding halt when he realised in the centre of the room was a massive telescope. “What…?”

“They don’t let just anyone in here, you know. But we got a really great shot of Saturn tonight and I thought you might like to get a glimpse.”

Remus’ throat went tight. “In…in that? As in my own eye?”

Sirius’ chuckle was low, almost bark-like. “With your very own eye. Come on.” He strolled over to the computer and plonked down. Remus heard him clicking away at the keyboard, and the telescope began to whirr to life, shifting a little in its position. 

Feeling his stomach twisting, Remus carefully set his tea off to the side, away from any of the equipment, then hugged his middle as Sirius got up, walking to the eyepiece of the telescope, and stuck his face on it. He adjusted several knobs, then went back to the computer, returning again.

The process took five long minutes, which was five minutes long enough for Remus to start panicking again because what was he _doing_ here. He hadn’t even started to process that the author of his favourite book was also the best friend of James, and godson to Harry—and it was someone James or Lily had never mentioned before.

“Alright, come on,” Sirius said. He was suddenly by Remus’ side, taking him by the wrist and easing him up to the massive machine. “Normally this one does photos and records for us, but we can fit an eyepiece on here for observing. It’s quite fantastic. Not sure if you’ve ever gotten a good look out there…”

“No,” Remus said very quietly. “Never.”

“Well then, I think you’ll especially enjoy this.” He put his hand on the small of Remus’ back and urged him forward.

With shaking hands, Remus braced himself on the sides of the eyepiece as he put his face there, and it all came into focus. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this. He had to check himself to see if it was real, if he was really seeing this. But the image of Saturn was there, it was right there and his breath caught in his throat.

He could barely tear himself away, but it was becoming overwhelming and he knew he would make a complete tit of himself if he cried. So he took a step back, giving Sirius a watery smile. “That’s amazing.”

“Isn’t it? I was about six the first time I got a good look. It was the moon, which most people think isn’t anything special but…”

“Oh but the moon is fantastic,” Remus breathed, unable to stop himself. “She’s ours, you know. Our satellite. Controls our tides…”

“Our werewolves,” Sirius said with a cheeky grin. “ _Remus Lupin_. I should have suspected you’d love the moon.”

“Oh sod off,” Remus said, but he was grinning madly and he realised then that Sirius’ hand had come to rest again at his back. “Thanks for this. It was more than I expected.”

Sirius’ grin was softer. “Of course, Remus. I hope you’ll be back.”

He wasn’t sure if he would be. If he could take it. If he wanted to. But he nodded anyway, and said very little as Sirius walked him back to the main area to collect his book. Out in the car park, they walked together until Sirius stopped by a rather nice looking motorbike, and gave Remus another wide grin. 

“Laterz, Remus. I had a nice night with you. I’ve never taken anyone in there before so, ta.”

Remus flushed and nodded. “It was good to meet you, Professor.” He got into the car with Sirius’ laugh echoing in his ears, and did his best to shove down his fancy because he didn’t trust that someone as amazing as Sirius Black would bother with a shop keep like Remus Lupin.

*** 

It was Tuesday when Lily and James entered the shop, Harry clinging to James’ hand in one, his cane in the other. He was grinning though, and yanked his fingers away from his dad the moment they were in. “Moony!”

Remus, who was behind the counter, grinned. “Alright there, Harry?”

“Want to see me? Want to see me do it by myself?”

“Absolutely,” Remus said, shooting James and Lily grins. The parents stood back as Harry demonstrated his ability to find the front counter all on his own. “That’s fantastic,” he said, coming round to give the boy a hug. Harry, again, abandoned his cane to the floor as he lifted his arms to be picked up.

“He’s been practising day and night,” James said, running a hand into his hair. “Caught him up at two in the sodding morning banging round the lounge.”

Remus bounced Harry a bit, making him giggle. “You know big boys are supposed to sleep through the night, Haz?”

“But I don’t want to sleep,” Harry said with a large pout.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Yes well, no sleep means no pudding so we won’t have a repeat, will we?”

Harry sighed. “Nooooo,” he drawled. “Moony have you got books for me today? Will you read me a story?”

Remus looked up at James and Lily who were smirking a little. “Been meaning to talk to you both, actually. Want to explain Padfoot to me?”

Lily flushed whilst James let out a huge laugh. “Sold us out, did he? He’s such a git.”

Remus huffed. “You might have mentioned, Lily. When you sent me to his place. I completely embarrassed myself.”

“Oh,” She said, patting his arm. “It couldn’t have been that bad. He was rather impressed by you. Told me he even took you to the telescope and he hasn’t even done that for _me_.”

James waggled his brows as Remus blushed. “Yes well…not sure I can show my face there again.” He smiled a bit when Harry leant his head on Remus’ shoulder and let out a small yawn. 

“Sure you can. He’d be heartbroken if you didn’t go next week.” James’ eyes went wide suddenly. “Oh also, we wanted to invite you round to ours for New Year’s Eve.”

Harry immediately lifted his head. “Yes! Mummy said there’s a party. You want to come to my party?”

Remus shrugged. “Not got much else to do, so why not? Party sounds fun.”

“Excellent,” Lily said. “James and I were doing to nip up the street if you don’t mind Harry staying here a bit.”

Remus smiled. “Not at all. I’ve got something for you anyway, Haz. A special surprise.”

Harry squirmed out of Remus’ arms, using his hand to grab the counter, then hurtled himself round to Remus’ usual stool. 

“Back in a tick, alright?” Lily said, but they were half-way out the door and Remus shook his head.

“Probably going to have some manky alley snog,” he muttered.

“What’s an alley snog?” Harry piped up.

Remus groaned. “Nothing, Haz. How about pretend you never heard those words, yeah? And let’s do this instead.” He pulled out Sirius’ book and put it on the counter. After shifting Harry back to his lap, he took the boy’s hand and put it on the first illustration. “This is Padfoot’s book, and I made the pictures so you can touch them.”

Harry’s small fingers rubbed all round the picture, the tips of them carefully tracing out the lines. “Which is this one? Is this one Padfoot?”

“It is,” Remus said. “That’s your godfather’s star.”

“Now I can tell him I seen it! He’ll be excited. He tells me stories about flying to his star. You want to come?”

“Sure,” Remus said with a small laugh, then carefully turned the page to the next. And then the next.

It was an hour before James arrived, without Lily, but he was smiling. “How was he?”

Harry, who was now asleep on the tatty sofa by the window, the book clenched in his fist, snuffled a little but didn’t wake. Remus grinned and shrugged. “A delight as always.”

James looked down at his son and frowned. “Is that Sirius’ book?”

Remus nodded, worrying the hem of his jumper between his fingers. “Yeah erm…well I’ve read it to him a few times—before I learnt who Sirius was and that Harry had been hearing those stories since he was a baby. But I sort of adjusted the illustrations…” He carefully removed the book from Harry’s hand, then opened it to the middle.

James took it, his fingers touching the paint with a frown. “What…?”

“I used paints. They glow in the dark as well. We tried to make it work but I couldn’t get the office dim enough. But it should be alright to try in his bedroom tonight.” Remus ran his fingers into his curls for a moment. “Reckoned it was the best I could do since the illustrations are so intricate. But he seemed to like it.”

James looked up at Remus with bright eyes. “This is pretty fantastic, Moony. None of us thought of this.”

Remus shrugged. “It just sort of came to me. Anyway we had a little more fun with the story today so hopefully it makes up for Sirius being furious that I was—as he said—defacing his work of art.”

James snorted. “He said that?”

“Well something like that,” Remus said with a shrug, not able to remember exactly what Sirius had said. He’d, unfortunately, been a little distracted by the fact that Sirius was almost painfully gorgeous. “He forgave me for it when he learnt what it was for.”

“He didn’t mention this,” James murmured, his fingers still trailing over the lines of paint. Closing it softly, he handed it back to Remus who shook his head.

“No, that one’s Harry’s.”

James grinned widely, tucking the book under his arm, then pulled Remus in for a soft embrace. “Have I ever thanked you for being fantastic?”

Remus laughed. “A few times, but I appreciate it.”

Stepping back, James carefully collected Harry’s folded cane, then eased his son up from the sofa and onto his shoulder. When he didn’t wake, James let out a sigh of relief. “Alright so, we’ll see you this Thursday, yeah?”

They discussed a time, then James insisted Remus only bring his lovely self, and he was out the door. As it closed, Remus sat down and the realisation hit him. If he was at the party, at the Potters, there was a damn good chance Sirius would be there. Remus wasn’t sure he could face the professor in a casual setting like that, but as much as he wanted to text Lily and say something came up, he found he couldn’t.

*** 

Remus arrived twenty minutes later than he meant to, and when James let him in, Remus was startled to find absolutely no one else in the house except Harry who was sat on the floor playing with his lego Batman set. 

“Am I early?” Remus asked, his eyebrow raised.

James chuckled. “Not at all, just on time. Sirius and Lily are just finishing up with the food.”

“I thought it was a party,” Remus said.

“Moony! You’re here for my party!” Harry was on his feet, rushing over and Remus caught him carefully, pulling him up into a hug. “Do you like my party?”

Remus bounced him a bit. “It’s a rather small party, this.”

“Yeah,” Harry said solemnly. “It’s my small party.”

Realising he’d misinterpreted the invite, Remus flushed and carefully eased Harry down. “So family thing then, is it?”

“Is that a problem?” James asked. He gave Harry’s head a pat as the boy wandered toward the kitchen.

“No I erm…just didn’t realise.” Remus felt himself sweating, making the skin under his binder itch almost unbearably. He shifted a little, fighting the urge to reach under his jumper and scratch it. “You sure no one will mind? I mean…Lily or…or Sirius…”

“He asked me to invite you,” James said, clapping Remus on the shoulder. “Come on, I’m starving.”

Remus looked down at his feet as he followed James through the lounge to the dining area where Sirius was helping Harry into his seat, and Remus took the time to appreciate the view. Sirius was wearing a pair of black leggings, a flowing white shirt over it, and his hair was down, shining like it was still wet from a shower. He brushed a lock back behind his ear, and Remus caught a glimpse of what looked like a slight pink gloss on his mouth, and a smear of gold, glittery shadow on his eyelids.

Remus didn’t think Sirius could get better looking until now, and he was mentally kicking himself for not cancelling. However he was put on the spot the second Sirius looked up, because the professor’s face broke into a wide smile as he straightened. 

“Harry tells me you’re called Moony.”

Harry grinned. “He’s _my_ best friend,” Harry clarified.

Remus had to laugh as he walked over, dropping a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “It’s true, so don’t think you can come over here and muscle in.”

Sirius grinned widely. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Reaching out, he brushed his long fingers against the back of Remus’ hand. “Glad you said yes, though. There’s that meteor shower thing tonight and thought you might want to watch it with me?”

Meteor shower thing? Remus reckoned it was part of Sirius’ astronomy group, so he figured no harm could come of that. He was trying to be more social after all. “After we eat?”

“Mm, yes,” Sirius said, grinning over at James who was sat at the table smiling like the cat who caught the canary. “So you will?”

“Reckon that would be nice,” Remus said. He took the seat next to Harry James was nodding at, and Sirius was next to him. Lily came to sit across, and before long they dissolved into pleasant conversation and delicious food.

Remus casually learnt about Sirius’ family, though they kept the words careful as Harry was like a sponge—apparently he had gone home to use the phrase manky-alley snog. But Remus was startled to find out that Sirius’ desire to go into astronomy instead of the family line of politics was what had him chucked out.

“My mum was the Thai ambassador, met my dad at University and their families were impressed enough to organise the wedding,” Sirius said, pulling a face. He was waving a carrot on his fork, rolling his eyes a bit as he went on. “Thought they could pull rubbish like that with me. Then they caught me wearing a dress and snogging James and we had a massive row. I came clean then, told them I didn’t subscribe to the gender binary, and they could take their arranged marriage and stuff it up their…” He coughed, stopping.

“Luckily he’d already been cultivating his second home,” James cut in. “Trying to usurp my position as favourite son.”

“And succeeded,” Lily said, and they all laughed a bit.

After a while, Remus carefully came out to Sirius, though he reckoned James had mentioned it before as Remus had already told the Potters he didn’t mind at all who knew he was trans. “I had a good relationship with my mum about it,” Remus said. “She even helped me pick my new name, though she was more for Romulus.”

“Oh no, no Remus was the better choice. Much more you,” Sirius said with a nod.

Remus grinned. “I agree. My dad stopped talking to me over it, but his loss, I suppose.”

Reaching over, Sirius squeezed his wrist. “Sorry, mate. But you’ve got this lot now, and from experience I can tell you there’s none better.”

“Though he still has to meet mum and dad,” James said solemnly. “It’s…an experience. My parents are…”

“They’re great,” Sirius said in a loud stage-whisper. “Right, Haz? Granddad and Gran are wonderful.”

“Yeah!” Harry cried. “They bring me sweets _and_ toys.”

“The Potters are all well-spoilt. Even the adopted ones,” Lily said, a playful, withering glare at Sirius.

Remus laughed. “Well I’m looking forward to it.”

By twenty to midnight, Sirius was glancing at his mobile enough to have Lily chase him away from the table. “Just go on. James and I will save you cake. Harry’s already asleep anyway, so it’s not like you’re going to miss anything.”

Sirius hesitated, but Remus shrugged and went to the lounge for his coat as Sirius found his own. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Remus shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I was hoping I’d get to see the meteor shower after you’d mentioned it.”

Sirius’ grin widened. “Excellent. I picked out an amazing spot for it, and everything’s already sorted.”

“Are we taking the bike?” Remus asked as Sirius pulled him out the front door, letting it slam behind them.

Sirius stopped, turning to look at Remus. “No, we’re only walking. It’s just behind the house which is the ideal spot. I mean, I can’t guarantee we’ll get anything, but from what we’ve been looking at all week, I think we’ll get lucky.”

Remus frowned, but let Sirius thread their fingers together as they went round the fence and into the massive field behind James and Lily’s. As they approached an area where Remus could see small lights, he realised something. No one else was there. On the ground was a huge, down-filled duvet, and a handful of other things he couldn’t make out in the dark, but no people.

“Where’s everyone else?” he blurted as Sirius let him go.

“Erm. Just us. That alright?”

“I thought…” Remus rubbed his face. “Christ, sorry. I thought this was part of your astronomy group.”

In the dim light of Sirius’ solar torches, his face fell. “Remus I…” He shuffled his feet. “I feel like I bollocksed this all up. I…I asked you out here like a…like a date.”

Remus’ entire body went flush. “Shit,” he blurted, then covered his mouth. “Sorry. God I’m sorry I had no idea. I am the most unobservant person on the planet.”

“No,” Sirius said very slowly. “Jamie wears that crown. But you might be first in line for it. You really had no idea? Or are you just trying to let me down easy.”

“Fuck, no,” Remus said in a hurry. In for a penny, in for a pound, he reckoned—and he really liked Sirius. “I think I liked you the second I saw you. I just…I suppose I didn’t think you’d be interested so I didn’t think.”

Sirius’ eyes were wide, mouth in a small o. “Are you joking, mate? I immediately tried to chat you up the second I set eyes on you.”

“No,” Remus argued. “You were lecturing me for defacing your book.”

“And it didn’t occur to you I was just looking for a reason to start a conversation?”

Remus spluttered, then rubbed his face. “No! That’s a terrible way to start a conversation, Sirius!”

“Well I never said I was any good at it,” Sirius all-but shouted back.

There was a long pause, then both of them burst into laughter, heads shaking. “Christ, we are something,” Remus muttered.

Sirius took a careful step toward Remus and put his hand round the back of his neck, pulling him close. “Yes, yes we are, Moonbeam. So can I take this to mean you’re at least a little interested? That it’s alright if it’s a date?”

Remus licked his lips, then let out a puff of air. “Yeah. I’m perfectly alright with that.”

“Excellent,” Sirius murmured. Their lips were so close, just a breath away. “May I?”

“May you?” Remus repeated.

“Kiss you.”

“Oh.” Remus blinked, then smiled very softly. “Yeah that would be…I would very much like that.”

Sirius pulled him close, their lips meeting in something chaste, but warm with the promise of so much more. He fisted his hand into the front of Remus’ jumper, feeling the binder under his fingers. “Is this alright? I know they can be uncomfortable?”

“Hmm?” Remus looked down, then smiled. “No it’s alright. Doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Good.” Sirius then tugged him in harder, and this time the kiss was deeper. A tongue swept out, and another to meet it as they explored each other’s mouths. Their breath hot, competing against the cold, biting wind whipping across the field, Remus’ head was spinning with desire. “Fuck,” Sirius breathed after a minute. “That was…”

“Mm.” Remus pushed their foreheads together as Sirius dug out his mobile. 23.59, it read on the screen, and Sirius turned it up. “Would you be my New Year’s kiss, Moony?”

Remus grinned, and just then, a light shot across the sky. And another. Two more before the number clicked over, and Sirius grabbed him by the chin, pressing their lips together gently.

As they broke apart, five more meteors shot across the sky, and with warm hands around the back of his neck, and a nose nuzzling against his cheek, Remus knew that it was going to be a very, very good year.


End file.
